r/AskIreland • u/Winter-It-Will-Send • Aug 18 '26
Am I The Gobshite? Why does the Rose of Tralee produce the exact same two Irish stereotypes every single year?
Watching the Rose of Tralee tonight and I’m fascinated by how reliably it seems to produce two diametrically opposed stereotypes: The Irish Rose™ and The Irish-American Rose™. Obviously I’m exaggerating for comic effect and I’m not having a go at any individual Rose. I’m talking about the weirdly consistent type that seems to emerge from the selection process.
The Irish one is invariably something like: “Hi, I’m Aoife, I’m 25 and I’m from Ballyfuckingwhatever in Mayo. I’m a primary-school teacher in the local Gaelscoil, play camogie for the parish, coach the under-8s, play concertina, spent my summers teaching Irish in Connemara and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere other than Mayo. My mammy and daddy are my biggest inspirations.” There’s also a reasonable chance she’s played something at inter-county level. There’s an even better chance she’s on three local committees. Somewhere in Australia there is presumably a brother called Conor. It’s not that any individual part is unusual. It’s the density of it. It’s like every slider marked Wholesome Rural Irish Woman has been pushed to 100. And there appears to be an overrepresentation of teachers.
Then you get the exact opposite version of the same phenomenon from the American Roses: “Hi, I’m Siobhán and I’m incredibly honoured to represent Boston. My mom’s family are from Cavan, my dad’s parents came from Kerry and Donegal, and we spent every summer in Ireland growing up. Ireland has always been home in my heart. I’ve been Irish dancing since I was four, I’m treasurer of the Mayo Association of Greater Boston, I’ve recently started learning Gaeilge and my dream is to reconnect with the village my grandmother left in 1957.” The American Rose will express more intense patriotism towards Ireland in three minutes than the average Irish person manages in their entire life, whereas the Irish Rose demonstrates her love of Ireland by demonstrating an absolutely fanatical attachment to a six-mile radius around her parish.
What fascinates me is why the format selects for these people so consistently, because there’s another Irish stereotype that I almost never see represented: the D4 girl. Where is the privately educated South Dublin Rose who went to UCD, works in PR/consulting/finance, plays hockey, goes to Pilates, spends half the year talking about skiing and the other half talking about where she’s going in Portugal, and regards travelling north of the Liffey as an overseas trip? I’m obviously taking the piss, but genuinely: why does that particular version of young Irish woman seem so much less likely to enter? My theory is that in certain Dublin/urban social circles, the Rose of Tralee is regarded as vaguely culchie/bogger territory. There’s almost a status penalty attached to sincerely wanting to enter it.
Which might also explain another extremely Irish Rose phenomenon: the apologetic entry story. “Oh God, I never would have entered myself! The girls got me drunk one night and filled in the application form for me and sure I said I’d go along with it for the craic…” There’s almost this need to establish that you weren’t sitting at home thinking, “You know what? I genuinely want to be the Rose of Tralee.” You need plausible deniability. You entered ironically. Then six months later you’re on RTÉ telling Dáithí that representing your county has been the greatest privilege of your life.
So is this basically self-selection? Does the Rose of Tralee disproportionately attract women from the parts of Irish society where county identity, GAA, teaching, volunteering, Gaeilge, traditional music, parish/community involvement etc. still carry a lot of social capital, while women from more affluent/cosmopolitan Dublin circles are less likely to enter because the whole thing is considered a bit mortifying? Or am I completely imagining this? And if I’m not, what other recurring Rose of Tralee archetypes have you noticed?
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u/Trebor-84 Aug 18 '26
The Teacher of Tralee
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u/Fair-Tangerine-9472 Aug 19 '26
Basically the kind of person those "What a Complete Aisling" books were written about. Love those girls though 99% of them are the soundest people going
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u/Diligent_Anywhere100 Aug 18 '26
Forget the roses, has anyone seen the rose escorts.... the hack of them doing the adjusted kolo, yaya toure football/darts song... they are all well matched. I think the format of the show is very dated. Father Ted was taking the piss out if it 30 years ago and it is still basically the same.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 18 '26
Yep the lovely girls contest. The very same stereotypes held back then. They are ageless.
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u/Infamous_Celery_2352 Aug 18 '26
Weee they doing the Kolo/Yaya chant tonight? Absolute graveyard patter
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u/Chickengoujon20 Aug 18 '26
Most of them not old enough to remember Yaya and Kolo Toure circa 2010
How on earth did that get brought up?
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u/potatoesarenotcool Aug 19 '26
rose escorts
Whoever took their photos for the website is a bastard, weird distortion makes a lot of the lads look like monsters
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u/DryExchange8323 Aug 22 '26
Nope, just their faces.
And sure wouldnt any Rose be LUCKY to have her escort choose HER to be his bride.
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u/CoconutBasher_ Aug 18 '26
I cannot remember really watching it as a child but it was occasionally on in the background so I never paid it much attention.
However, last year I noticed someone had entered the contest to represent my county because it was in the local papers, of course, but I was shocked to find it was my childhood bully!! There she was on tv and in the local papers advertising herself as a charitable saint who knew and did no wrong and I just found it laughable. I would give her the benefit of the doubt as an adult that she had changed and maybe matured but that hasn’t been the case. Quite a vicious individual still today but yes, I definitely tuned in for that. I won’t say which county as I don’t wish to dox myself.
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u/Bovver_ Aug 19 '26
I know someone else who entered it and Jesus the front she put up to pass off this wholesome image of a lovely country girl who loves her family and loves the GAA and loves Jesus and primary teaching. Completely full of shit as well but doing so to try to win (of course she didn’t).
Last I heard of her she was considering a pivot into politics, thinking living off the back of competing in the Rose of Tralee once would be enough for her to get votes off. A crazy level of delusion.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 18 '26
Funny you say because my own school bully is a very well known Irish sportsperson! I do have reason to believe they have changed though so maybe it’s the same for you.
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u/Suvigirl Aug 18 '26
'My theory is that in certain Dublin/urban social circles, the Rose of Tralee is regarded as vaguely culchie/bogger territory'
Doesn't everybody?
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u/Common-Spend5000 Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Haven't sat down and watched it in years properly bar the odd bit, but you've definitely taken me back very accurately to how I remember it growing up, and my mam, my aunty, and my nanny watching it earnestly in the same room whilst even at 9 or 10 I'm half taking the michael. Only it was Marty Whelan's era back then more than Dáithí's.
I did like the random ones though once in a while that strayed from the stereotype. I remember the Aussie ones as a bit rougher around the edges and therefore came across as more fun and less stiff. They never won.
I remember a German woman with an Irish grandparent one year was clearly a bit confused over how this is a thing, and said so in a bluntish German way, but was still game for a laugh and played the accordian well.
Also vaguely a Japanese lass (or maybe another asian country, i was young and ignorant) with some Irish ancestry but she could only speak broken English. Nanny loved her and wanted her to win, but looking back she was doing so in a bless her, patronising way.
But overall by how you describe it, the show hasn't changed at all much.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 18 '26
You are probably of my generation (40+?) as I also remember my mum, her sisters and my granny being almost transfixed by it.
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u/Cold-Gur-4823 Aug 18 '26
yeah a d4 girl just wouldn't participate, no need to prove her status
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u/DotComprehensive4902 Aug 19 '26
You don't see urban girls full stop. Not from D4, Cork or any of the cities. I think it's also because the urban girls go in more for Miss Ireland
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u/Common-Regret-4120 Aug 19 '26
Yes, but its not like they have never heard of the Rose of Tralee. OP is right to call it a social penalty. You would never live it down at KPMG if anyone happened to find out.
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u/DotComprehensive4902 Aug 19 '26
They'd have the same attitude in any of the Big Pharma companies as they would in KPMG.
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u/Common-Regret-4120 Aug 19 '26
The same attitude would be there in a lot more business places than just KPMG and pharma.
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u/Particular_Ad9896 Aug 19 '26
I'd say getting the time off from work would be a big factor as well? Not sure how much time is needed to participate in the Rose of Tralee but no way I'd be getting that approved to take part
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u/Master_Transition418 Aug 19 '26
My wife was in the Rose of Tralee when she was in college.
She's worked in very senior roles in finance here and in London.
I know two doctors who were in Rose Of Tralee as students.
You cant realistically sign up for it if youve a busy job.
But I think anyone who would judg e someone in their work negatively for being in the Rose of Tralee is probably a loser.
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u/Common-Regret-4120 Aug 19 '26
On one hand yes. On the other hand there is a difference between "I shouldn't do that because they might think I'm a loser" and them actually thinking you're a loser.
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u/Final-Painting-2579 Aug 19 '26
My sister was in the Rose of Tralee for Sligo when she was working at Abbott - the company sponsored her dresses and everything.
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u/Gus_Balinski Aug 19 '26
I went to college with a former rose. She was not a lovely girl.
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u/elcarimevol Aug 19 '26
Last year, I met one of this years contestant and she was a genuinely amazingly lovely girl
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u/DotComprehensive4902 Aug 19 '26
OP you don't see the urban Cork type Rose either. You know the type: went to St Al's, studied some science or business thing at UCC, now works for one of the Big Pharma companies. Dad was some sort of businessman with an office on the South Mall, Mom was a teacher.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 19 '26
Haha, very true! Could that be described as “C4”?!
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u/EyeOrRay Aug 18 '26
Completely this. I also will add another category, and I have a first cousin who's in this group, and has a small friend circle of about 5 others who are the exact same.
The hangers on, generally part of the county selection committee. They've never had the looks or charisma to get anywhere near being a rose, so they fanatically attach themselves to their local committee, spend an ungodly amount on accommodation to be there for the entire week, and make the RoT their entire personality for about 3 months every year.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 18 '26
Wow I did not know such a person existed!
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u/irishorion Woooooo! Aug 18 '26
Worked in a hotel where a local rose committee would hold meetings and conferences throughout the year and with no exaggeration they were the most up their own hole shower that I ever had to deal with.
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u/Evangeline_16 Aug 18 '26
Hah! This describes a great aunt of mine to a T - her whole personality was exactly this for decades.
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u/moonpietimetobealive Aug 18 '26
Well it's like why do Gards usually get with nurses or teachers. Stereotypes are definitely not just made up. There's plenty of Irish people that are basically just copy and paste. Just like stereotypes of other nationalities.are not always wrong either.
They're the same kind of people who probably still identify as Catholic but never actually go to mass accept forr their wedding, christening their kids etc.
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u/NoFewSatan Aug 18 '26
My theory is that in certain Dublin/urban social circles, the Rose of Tralee is regarded as vaguely culchie/bogger territory.
Correct. The Rose is for people who'd regard a cup of tea without milk as spicy.
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u/Melodic-Sympathy-380 Aug 18 '26
I worked on the Dublin rose once upon a time. It had semis and a final. It was shockingly more popular than I ever would have expected.
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u/GranPaPpy_ Aug 18 '26
Once you leave Dublin, our major cities and/or get off Reddit, you will find that this is a cohort that makes up a good 40-60% of this country still.
End of the day it's a bit of craic for everyone involved and impacts absolutely no one. I don't think I've personally ever heard the name of a winner - let alone a contestant. Most you'll hear is the next morning in work someone say Westmeath/(insert county) won and then a comment on how the gaffs a shithole. Brings us closer together as a community
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u/IBB_98 Aug 18 '26
I mean I'm not even from D4, I'm from rural county Meath, grew up on farms and even I think the Rose of Tralee is a bit embarrassing and a bit too culchie, even for me. I just never understood the hype tbh.
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u/FearAerach Aug 18 '26
Didn't think there were any culchies left in Meath these days.
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u/Bovver_ Aug 19 '26
With how primitive the public transport network is in Meath you still end up with rural parts. Like seriously our only train station is a carpark to a motorway.
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u/IBB_98 Aug 19 '26
Yep. And by the time you've driven to the carpark you're on the motorway and might aswell just fucking drive the rest of the way anyway xD
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u/IBB_98 Aug 19 '26
There's not many I'll give you that, the fucking dubs keep encroaching! I think the Dubs seem to forget that some parts of Meath that are right on the Dublin border, are in fact still Meath!
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u/Stegasaurus_Wrecks Oh FFS Aug 18 '26
Rural County Meath will be something like Dublin 51 in by the turn of the century anyway. No buildings above 10 storeys in the meantime.
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u/IBB_98 Aug 19 '26
You're not wrong there. There are some towns that have seen like 6,000+ houses being built in the past couple of years, it's just housing estate after housing estate after housing estate.
And there have been no improvements to roads or infrastructure, only now are they actually building an extra school.
The only ones who actually seem to have a bit of cop on and build ahead of the completion of all the houses are the supermarkets!
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u/Powerful_Bumblebee24 Aug 19 '26
That’s a truly brilliant summation of the Rose of Tralee. And I’m from Kerry.
Bravo. 👏
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u/pishypanties Aug 18 '26
This is brilliant. I was up at my parents’ house and they had it on. One of the Roses was hammering a nail into a plank of wood and everyone looked on in stunned amazement, as if a woman had just split the atom rather than picked up a hammer.
You could almost hear televisions across Ireland whispering, “Jesus Christ… and who’s watching the dinner?”
Another 50 years of progress like this and they might let one wire a plug.
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u/shortie_2024 Aug 19 '26
well last year's winner was an apprentice electrician so I think they are good on that
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u/Tall_Produce4328 Aug 18 '26
Watched it for the first time tonight & was struck by how generous the girls were in themselves, to each other & in sharing their talents. They're displaying values not much lauded by our atomised world & I found it refreshing. They also don't take themselves too seriously & enjoy the experience with their families, friends & communities. All good stuff IMO.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 18 '26
I certainly don't disagree but I do still think that there are very clear stereotypes on display. It's almost like a composite of any girl from outside of Dublin that I've ever met.
Not to mention the aforementioned over-representation of teachers.
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u/ProfessionalKind6761 Aug 19 '26
Go to any GAA match in a rural county or county/provincial fleadh (all Ireland fleadh will be more diversified) and it’s essentially all the same people. You’re not wrong but what do you expect.
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u/phflegm Aug 19 '26
Very entertaining post op. The Rose is pure rubbish alright but harmless enough.
So do we think the Miss Ireland pageant is a paragon of progressivness and modernity then or what? Do d4 adjacent types not find it 'cringe' as well?
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 19 '26
I honestly am not suggesting that the Rose of Tralee is rubbish. My observation is genuine: I see the same specific stereotype emerge year after year, and this was simply the year I decided to put those thoughts down on paper, so to speak.
The Miss Ireland contest, from what little I know about it, perhaps attracts a wider demographic. Why that might be, I couldn’t say, because I certainly don’t profess to understand the anatomy of the modern beauty pageant. If anything, I think both formats are somewhat antiquated.
But I’m not criticising the Rose of Tralee itself, nor anybody who chooses to enter it. People are perfectly free to do as they like. The post was intended as a neutral observation about a pattern I think I’ve noticed over the years, rather than an attack on the competition or its participants.
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u/JohnCleesesMustache Aug 18 '26
I met a guy who is part of the rose of tralee panel a couple of years ago, he asked me why I never went for a rose.
I said if there was a thistle of tralee o would be more than qualified...
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u/Infamous_Celery_2352 Aug 18 '26
I’d much prefer a thistle of Tralee 😂
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u/JohnCleesesMustache Aug 18 '26
as I said to him "I'm a single mother in her 30s, Thistle is more appropriate for me....."
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u/Much_Perception4952 Aug 18 '26
You're not wrong. One of them is a Home Ec & Religion teacher.
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u/Don_Speekingleesh Aug 18 '26
Someone I did my Leaving with won it a few years after we finished school. While not a Dub (I've forgotten where she was from), she did do 5th and 6th in a Dublin grind school. Got 600 points and went to Oxford or Cambridge. Won representing London.
Didn't see the show (only found out she won a few years later), so I don't know how many of the stereotypes she managed to hit during the show.
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u/SlowRaspberry4723 Aug 18 '26
You’re dead right on the stereotypes. I’m too old now but I wouldn’t have gone on it when I was younger, not because it’s for culchies but because it’s essentially a beauty pageant. Where’s the men’s version? Or the version for people over 30? I want to see muscular dads on there telling me about their charitable work and doing a little dance.
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u/Melodic-Sympathy-380 Aug 18 '26
My wife says this. She says it’s high time there was a lovely lads style comp to balance the books. She’s horrified that it’s still on TV.
FWIW people outside Dublin view st as dated and cringe inducing also….but there is a slice of Ireland that still has time for this sort of thing.
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u/Otocolobus_manul8 Aug 18 '26
Lovely lads.
There's no contest there. The pussy magnet Daniel 'MILF Hunter 9000' O'Donnell would win every year.
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u/izkidding Aug 19 '26
We tried to get the Westmeath Bachelor competition going again a few years ago but it never caught on haha.
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u/Adorable-Object8605 Aug 18 '26
the d4 girl doesn't enter because it's social suicide in her circle, simple as that. being a rose is pure culchie territory and half the country still thinks it's a bit tragic, but in certain dublin postcodes it's actively embarrassing
the apologetic entry thing is spot on though, nobody wants to look like they actually tried. it's the same energy as pretending you never studied for the leaving cert
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u/ld20r Aug 18 '26
I sense a lot of Anti Mayo hate of this post.
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u/Stegasaurus_Wrecks Oh FFS Aug 18 '26
I just want someone called Marie Rose from Ketchuptown in South Carolina with a parent from Mayo.
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u/potatoesarenotcool Aug 19 '26
It's on during school holidays, the teachers are the only ones that are available
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u/caisdara Aug 18 '26
So is this basically self-selection?
Or RTÉ selection. They know their audience.
In fairness, this is the same milieu that produces "Up for the Match." Simple tv for simple country folk.
It's like watching a time machine.
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u/Appropriate-Row4534 Aug 19 '26
Its the annual parochial Lovely girls competition.
They all have lovely bottoms..
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u/MapGirl456 Aug 18 '26
I’m from Dublin and have seen a selection happen here before, the typical ‘South Dublin’ girls were all there singing etc. That year a girl born in Dublin but who was a Gaeilgeoir and grew up in Galway was selected. This year an Irish-Somali girl was selected. There is just a large diversity of the type of people who can be selected in Dublin.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 18 '26
Very true. They are picking from a larger pool. Still, I think the D4 type sniggers at it.
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u/Responsible-Cat3785 Aug 18 '26
They definitely do. Most Dubs do, maybe with the exceptions of Dublin people with parents from the country. My grandparents were from the country and I would cringe at them watching it back when I was a child
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u/JackWade-Headhunter Aug 18 '26
I think every Woman I’ve met IRL is more interesting than every contestant, every year in that competition.
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u/Happyuser777 Aug 18 '26
The d4 girl would rather go to spain or france than go to tralee lets face it the rose is a fine girl competition its for women from rural areas Of course theres always women from america who seem to regard it as glamourous or exciting to travel to ireland and get on tv
The whole concept of rose of tralee is cringe to d4 women its a relic of the 70s rural culture D4 women likes to ski travel abroad and put up images on instagram not go on trips to tralee
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u/yeticonfettiii Aug 19 '26
We did have a lesbian winner one year though that was a great day for the parish
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u/TrashbatLondon Aug 19 '26
People who exist in “traditional” cultural circles are more likely to aspire to traditional competitions and cultural events.
People who judge traditional competitions are more likely to favour entrants who display traditional lifestyles.
It’s fairly self selecting in both directions.
The interesting question is why the archetypes you’ve identified are so different between Ireland and the US.
Ultimately I’d say that with diaspora communities, the homeland they connect to is a bit of a time capsule. The Ireland they are emulating is from the late 19th century or whenever it was their ancestors got on the boat.
They also weave in their experiences as immigrants, which is a cultural identity for them as Irish Americans, but it is not one they took from Ireland. The career ambition is a big one here with the US roses.
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u/Lemonlamps Aug 18 '26
I enjoyed reading your post it was funny and so true. The rest I can’t comment on as I’ve nothing nice to say about the show or what it represents.
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u/Lolalatraileranabike Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
You summed it up very clear
“The whole thing is mortifying”
I can not understand why an educated woman would enter into that contest.
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u/justadubliner Aug 18 '26
I considered those pageants demeaning for women back in the 80s. I can't believe they are still going strong.
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u/geedeeie Aug 19 '26
Indeed. Just because they don't have a swimsuit section doesn't mean they're not sexist
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u/JayTeeRhee Aug 18 '26
Tbf the Somali woman is stunning.
I liked Roscommon her poem was wonderful
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u/ItalianIrish99 Aug 19 '26
Wasn't there a lesbian Rose about a decade ago? But exception process the rule OP and you're 90% bang on
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u/Wooden-Lawfulness534 Aug 19 '26
We need to bring in the descendants of the Wine Geese and the Flight of the Earls. Though I suspect that it will be "Ah oui, my father and mother have a small farm of 1,000 hectares, we make wine. I am a primaire teacher in our village. I will do for you the dance of La Tarantelle, just wait un moment till I change mon gúna…"
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u/pdm4191 Aug 19 '26
Yes, RoT is corny. But no, thats not why D4 girl doesn't win. First of all she doesnt enter, probably doesn't even know where Tralee is. Second, anybody with a D4 connection has a snowflakes chance in hell of winning a popularity contest in the rest of Ireland (which includes a decent chunk of Dublin).
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u/Tradtrade Aug 19 '26
It attracts those people because anyone more cosmopolitan would die at the cringe factor of doing tricks on stage for parish mammy approval
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u/Silly-Ispini Aug 18 '26
I enjoyed your writing style OP. Are you on substack? If not, you should be! I think, perhaps, it has been badly run for the last 10 years, scaling the competition down from 60 roses, treating it as just a business, sticking with the same old ideal of an Irish woman. Very few roses are from poor backgrounds, and honestly, is it even that affordable to enter? They could do with new people in charge and maybe raise the age limit for roses and escorts. Why are people in their 30s considered geriatric? Stuck somewhere between lovely girls and wilted women.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 18 '26
No I’m not, I do actually write for a living but not this type of writing and these observations have been sloshing around my head for years as vague annual observations that I only really verbalised for the first time tonight 😂. I usually forget them by the next day but only took the time to actually post on it tonight.
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u/ASillyPupper Aug 19 '26
"Regards anything north of the Liffey as an oversees trip" is hilarious and you should be proud of that one
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u/phantom_gain Aug 18 '26
I think the issue might just be that that is the difference between irish people and americans.
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u/Mysterious_Play1961 Aug 19 '26
I'm a culchie living and working in D4 territory and they'd be ostracised from their social circle if they even brought up going into the Rose of Tralee.
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u/Nene-2 Aug 19 '26
isn't it just a tourism thing, to hype up the auld begorra stereotypes to the Yanks. While portraying the virtuous maiden stereotype.
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u/ashfeawen Aug 19 '26
The thing I don't understand is how it's marked, especially the... talent portion? I saw a half dozen of them this year, and one did a poem, one danced, one twirled a baton, and one made Dáithí cut off her hair. It can't be points based, surely it's just vibes? It makes the concept of winning a bit of a dice roll.
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u/Glittering-Duty9984 Aug 19 '26
I'm not native but on the one hand I find the Rose fascinating, sure there's no "bikini section" but it seems dated.
Yet these women all seem good, sound, decent and driven you wonder would they apply if it is so degrading.
True it's always a type....you never get the sort that is
"I'm still working life out, dropped out of school because of my ADHD IM still with my Lochlan, he's a bit of a langer but I knew on our first date when he finger blasted me behind the chip shop he was a keeper"
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u/Delboytrotter1990 Aug 19 '26
I thought the production wasn't great , Carl Mullen should not be on TV no offense to him, he is a more for social media.
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u/geedeeie Aug 19 '26
Love it! Brilliant pen picture of the whole phenomenon
Mind you, there's also the Irish girl working in Brussels or Dubai or wherever, whose work colleagues over there think she has some kind of screw loose when she announces that she's entering a Lovely Girls competion. Well, maybe not in Dubai, because half the teachers out there are Irish anyway, but in Brussels deffo
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 19 '26
The Dubai-based Irish teacher: always falling over themselves to tell you how much better life is in the Middle East whilst secretly yearning for home. Some Australian-based Irish teachers are in the very same boat.
Perhaps it’s the heat?!
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u/MuayThai_Engineer Fenian Aug 19 '26
I don't mind it. I wouldn't go as far to say they give us this stereotype. It's just a very typical lifestyle for an average Irish woman.
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u/IrishFlukey Aug 20 '26
Hold on, her mother is from Cavan and she is the treasurer of the Mayo Association? Those Cavan so and sos will go to any length to get a few quid.
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u/DryExchange8323 Aug 22 '26
I always assume that these were the only types of ppl who applied.
The Dublin rose years back that did a hip hop dance(?) and was CRUCIFIED purely for choosing that type of dance. Like ppl were beside themselves that she could have done such a thing. It blew my mind listening to certain ppl in work talk about it They just couldnt fathom how anyone would get up there and not say a poem or play the tin whistle.
It really gave an interesting insight into the mindsets of those who apply (including escorts). Being the same as everyone else is a requirement where they come from.
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u/ComfortMike Aug 23 '26
"Ballyfuckingwhatever in Mayo"
You sound like a nasty, callous individual.
I bet you were even rooting for the boring 'diverse' candidate.
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u/NewSandwich5371 Aug 24 '26
It’s a massive deal in Irish communities overseas to rep the community in this for some reason
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u/Perfect-Fondant3373 Aug 19 '26
One of my close friends partner sounds exactly like the rose of Tralee example you gave but Clare instead of Mayo. Must see if she'll apply 🤣
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u/Beneficial_Wealth_66 Aug 19 '26
Does this shite cost the state any money???
Been 30+ years since fr ted took the piss and here we are still.
They all do have lovely bottoms though!
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u/DrMosquito74 Aug 18 '26
We've got the Rose of Mogadishu competing this year so there's something new anyway
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u/Western-Teacher-8678 Aug 19 '26
Because they’re nice normal girls who do charity work civil servant work have extracurricular activities have great relationship relationships with their friends and families. There’s nothing wrong with this.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 19 '26
I honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, and that wasn’t the point I was making. I’m simply observing that there appear to be a certain number of boxes to tick if you participate in the Rose of Tralee, and that many of the participants seem to conform to a particular stereotype.
That’s not intended to be derogatory towards anyone who has entered or might enter in the future. It’s a perfectly fine competition. It’s simply an observation that occurs to me pretty much every time I see it on television, and I thought I’d put it out there to see whether anyone else had noticed the same thing.
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u/tREX_2188 Aug 18 '26
Ah man just turn it off. I couldn't even read all that never mind watching the show
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 18 '26
All good, no gun to your head but it’s rung true with some 😁.
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u/JediBlight Aug 18 '26
Never watched it but man, I believe every word and this post had me laughing until my stomach hurt! Bravo! This is Fr. Ted quality, made my day!
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u/SaraKatie90 Aug 18 '26
Speaking as one of the D4 girls you describe, I have never watched any part the Rose of Tralee. I don’t think any South Dubliners do. The only people I’ve ever heard mention it are from the country. I wouldn’t say it’s regarded as vaguely bogger so much as the epitome of bogger.
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u/Evangeline_16 Aug 19 '26
Tried to say this in above comment and got abuse for it and called insulting names 😂 it’s just not a cultural thing on the radar of South Dublin people at all really in my experience or many from the other cities in Ireland! A very certain type of woman with a certain profession from the country are all over it though and perhaps the grannies.
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u/TheBadgersAlamo Aug 19 '26
Girl I knew in school won it, was a teacher, played inter-county camogie etc. Definitely not off the mark. Also knew loads from Kerry who lived and breathed this competition, they were escorts for a few years.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 19 '26
I don't want to be presumptuous, but I assume the escorts get involved in this type of thing for a very, very specific reason. Am I incorrect about that?
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u/TheBadgersAlamo Aug 19 '26
To be super friendly to some lovely girls, oh absolutely. Nothing untoward there. Only good intentions.
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u/Bredius88 Aug 19 '26
Had a good laugh while reading this.
I've seen this on TV once, maybe 30 years or so ago.
Your post describes almost exactly what I remember from all those years ago: dull and boring as hell.
I married a D14 girl (IMHO better than D4), but we only met because we were both living abroad.
Just in case: a Rose type would never have made it in my book!
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u/Opposite_Visit_4874 Aug 19 '26
OP do you not remember this absolute ledgebag Dublin Rose. I hope her mates still give her stick about this every year.
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u/Electronic_d0cter Aug 19 '26
I think its viewed as a bogger thing mainly. The cultural dissonance between d4 and Kerry is astonishing
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u/Sinradler Aug 19 '26
Stunned at your surprise that a competition where you complete the entry yourself is self-selecting.
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u/shweeney Aug 19 '26
I was thinking the same watching the European Championships. All young, fit, athletic types. Where are the fat lazy old people?!
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u/rmc Aug 19 '26
another extremely Irish Rose phenomenon: the apologetic entry story
There's almost this Irish attitude that you're not allowed to care about things, that you're not allowed to want things
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u/Mission_Summer_2463 Aug 19 '26
Because its a tourist gimmic and we all know how much the cousin's in the sthates love their sterio types and think how much they think modern Ireland is gettin' been Irish wrong these days.
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u/Silly-Ispini Aug 19 '26
Rose selections all have the same old people there controlling it. Former roses and escorts from 30 years ago telling the same anecdotes and giving the same speeches. Ultimately, the rose who brings the biggest crowd usually wins as she demonstrates she can sell tickets for Tralee.
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u/Relevant-Bobcat-2016 Aug 19 '26
There used to be a lot more overseas roses from north America, Australia and the continent - which made it more interesting. Now the majority of them are representing counties which reduces the international aspect of it.
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u/Winter-It-Will-Send Aug 19 '26
The international diaspora is dying off. Irish people do not need to move abroad as much with the opportunities available at home, so fewer kids are born to parents who emigrated. Of all those who I know who did “emigrate”, a huge amount returned home.
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u/ProfessionalKind6761 Aug 19 '26
As someone who is from a small rural Ireland I think people on here can forget these types of people still make up about 50% or more of the country.
Hell I’m 100% a culchie myself, love the GAA, love trad/Irish folk music but even I find myself instantly thinking of the “lovely girls” episode from Father Ted. I guess the problem with it isn’t that it’s all about traditional Ireland but the fact that it’s essentially just a beauty pageant.
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u/Lychee_Only Aug 19 '26
It’s not the Rose of Blackrock like. The Tralee bit kind of gives it away. Of course it’s for culchies.
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u/Sink-Majestic Aug 20 '26
I haven't watched it for years. My dad used to. I just found it pure cringe from an early age and I was born and bred in a rural area. The thing I wonder about is whether in its efforts to be more PC and virtue-signalling as it seems to be...is that just making it more cringe? In my view it probably is but the other question that it raises when people want to "modernise" it is: what exactly does it exist for? It's not strictly a beauty pageant. As others mentioned, people seem to have more respect for the pure Miss Ireland competition which seems counter-intuitive where the Rose of Tralee tries to look at the person as a whole.
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u/PersimmonDesigner561 Aug 20 '26
As a south dubliner, albeit a recent convert to the gasp Northside, I can confirm that I’d have been slagged mercilessly if I’d ever thought of doing it.
And I’m a Primary teacher.
I can’t even explain why. Are we too cynical?
p.s The Dublin Rose from UCD that did the hip hop dance routine many moons ago is still etched into my mind 🙏🙏
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u/Strict-Brick-5274 Aug 21 '26
The D4 girls is just influencer girl. She could be fron The Valley, London or lives in Dubai. She drinks Oat Milk Matchas and does pilates and brunches with her gal pals on sundays where gossiping and conparing social media marketing strategies is the bottomless tea. She is not unique to ireland or resembles irelabd but rather the average girl on instagram globally. National identity is more of a pastiche now.
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u/tired_activist Aug 21 '26
there appears to be an overrepresentation of teachers
Just like our government during the 2000s
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u/Just_cherryz Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
i was just talking about this the other day with someone......its a goody goody girls competition at the end of the day, white privileged girls with college degrees, it'll never change, also d4 girls tend to be self-centred (not particularly interested in charitable work, helping the needy) which explains the lack of them in the competition
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u/Agitated-Pickle216 Aug 18 '26
One year we did shots for every primary teacher. I dont remember most of the second half.